Rancho BernardoHistorical SocietyNewsletter

Volume XIV, Issue 2

www.rbhistory.org 1Fall 2019

Rancho Bernardo History Museum - And Much MoreBy Peggy Rossi - Collections Manager

We are more than a museum; we are also an archive, maintaining documents, records, photographs, objects, and more that relate to Rancho Bernardo history.Rancho Bernardo Historical is continually seeking to add to our archival collections and maybe you can help. We are specifi cally seeking items that relate to activities, events and people in Rancho Bernardo:

• Ephemera, meaning items on paper like posters, menus, brochures, advertisements, plans;

• Organizational records from Rancho Bernardo groups. This could include minutes, agendas, programs, business cards, rosters and correspond-ence, We can help you get them out of someone’s garage and arrange for them to be catalogued, digitized and preserved;

• Photographs of people and events as well as recordings and videos, recent as well as older ones. We can scan your photographs and return the originals to you if you would prefer not to donate them outright. Non-commercial photo-graphs from the 2007 fi re are particularly needed.

• Published items such as cookbooks (for example, a group fund-raising cookbook) and organizational histories;

• Physical items directly related to Rancho Bernardo such as small paintings or memorabilia from events (key chains or wine glasses for example).

All items must relate to Rancho Bernardo. Unfortunate-ly we cannot take items of a general nature even if they are “historic.” If you have items to donate to the archives, please call the Collections Manager, Peggy Rossi, at 858-592-9360 to arrange an appointment. Docents cannot accept items dropped off at the door. With rare exceptions, we cannot take items on loan.

President’s Message -Moving History ForwardBy Rich Thorpe, President

For 4 years, we held the RB Tastings Festival as our major fundraiser to support an annual operating budget of over $30,000. It was successful every year through heroic efforts by our Board of Directors and plenty of event volunteers. By 2015, however, we suffered “board burnout”. Despite ongoing fi nancial support from memberships, donations, and other events, we have operated “in the red” ever since.

In early 2018 RB Rotary Club asked for our help in reviving a “Tastings Festival” fundraiser. Our fi rst response was “No, we don’t have the people!” But we jumped on board because of a new concept - a western history/family event, which matched our community outreach mission.

As you’ll read later, the Vines and Vittles Festival was a big success. But it wasn’t just our helping RB Rotary. Together, we were able to garner major contributions from other local organizations, such as Escondido History Center, RB Sunrise Rotary, Rincon Band of the Luiseno Indians, Poway 4H, San Diego Humane Society, Grand Ladies and Gents of the Old West, Team Red White Blue, and of course, over 150 event volunteers.

Vines and Vittles showed that RB organizations really work together to help each other in serving the community. We’re proud to play a part.

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OFFICERS

PresidentRich ThorpeVice PresidentFred GahmSecretarySandy ParkingtonTreasurerGeorge Leitner

BOARD MEMBERSAlethea AltenbernNancy Canfi eldSally EdwardsCarol GahmFred GahmJane HarmonRaenell HootenBob KaplanGeorge LeitnerJeanne MacLarenSandy ParkingtonRich Thorpe

RANCHO BERNARDOHISTORICAL SOCIETYa 501 (c)(3)non-profi t organizationTax ID# 33-0269787

P.O. Box 27314San Diego, CA 92198-7314858-775-5788rbhistory1@gmail.com

RB HISTORY MUSEUMBernardo Winery13330 Paseo del Verano N.San Diego, CA 92128

© 2019 Rancho BernardoHistorical Society. All Rights Reserved.

GENERAL MEETING NOTICE

RANCHO BERNARDO HISTORICAL SOCIETYMonday, October 14, 2019 @ 2:00 PM

Rancho Bernardo History Museum

In addition to our monthly business meeting, we will have nominations for election to

the 2019-2020 RB Historical Society Board of Directors.

Additional nominations fromthe fl oor are welcome. All members and guests

are encouraged to attend.

Vines & Vittles RecapBy Nancy Canfield, Co-Chair

Have you ever planned a big event, say a wedding, and

have it turn out nearly perfectly? Well, that’s how we felt after the first annual Vines and Vittles Western Family Festival this past summer! So many details to plan and execute, so many vol-unteers, so much to do, but it worked! Though the weather was a bit hot, we had water stations every few yards, cold ice cream, lemonade, beer, wine, and delicious food from over 20 restaurants to distract from the hot weather around Webb Lake. Bluegrass and Mariachi bands contributed to the lively atmos-phere. Nearly 1,000 guests congregated under canopies and shade trees, while sun worshipers soaked up the rays. Children played games, won prizes, painted rocks for their gardens and got their pictures taken with the Ladies and Gents of the Old West, aboard the RB Historical Society’s authentic mudwagon. The raffle proved a huge hit, and over 30 prizes went home with attendees.In addition to being a great, fun day, the sponsors, RB Historical Society and RB Rotary Club Foundation,

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had other objectives, including fundraising for their many community activities. They included:• creating a Native American exhibit inside the

RB History Museum to educate our visitors about the indigenous peoples of our area;

• supporting the many, many charitable causes supported by Rotary, such as grants for the military, Rady Children’s Hospital and programs for children with special needs, just to name a few;

• establishing a new annual community event with western and family themes;

• networking with other service organizations such as Sunrise Rotary, RB Kiwanis, Escondido History Center, Poway Rotary, and Friends of the RB Library, who all chipped in equipment, experience, and volunteers;

• involving young people, a goal of the historical society for many years. We invited the Boy and Girl Scouts, local Key Clubs, Interact and Rota-ract service organizations, and the RB and Poway Queens. It is so important that youngsters learn the value and joy of volunteering while they are young so they will learn to be active volunteers as adults.

The Rancho Bernardo Historical Society and RB Ro-tary are already doing some preliminary planning for the second annual Vines and Vittles Western Family Festival. Please mark your calendars now for July 26, 2020 at Webb Lake Park. We’ll see you there!Please visit our website at https://rbhistory.org/ and look under the Events tab for the link to a video of the event courtesy of Geoff Miasnik Photography.

2019 Vines & Vittles Organizing Committee

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A Sampling From Our Extensive Photo CollectionThe Rancho Bernardo Historical Society has approximately 3,000 or more photographs in its collection. Here are a few samples. More images can be viewed at our online collection at https://rbhistoricalsociety.pastperfectonline.com

Top Left: Newly elected officers of the RB World War I Veterans, Barracks 1089. Left to right: Oscar Heintz, guard; Lewis Ashby adjutant; Paul Hancock, junior vice commander; Evan Raymond, quartermaster; Evan Williams, commander; Clifford Gregg, senior vice commander; Reginald Oxenham, chaplain; Merle Smith, judge advocate. April 1974.

Top Right: Art Quick, first golf pro at the Rancho Bernardo Inn course, and his first ladies golf class (1963) Back row: Carolyn Banks, Lois Harris, Florence Harper, Lois Johnston, Marylin Griffith, Dee Siltanen Front row: Dorothy Compton, Betty Gale Alvaredo, Jackie Stegman, Doris Smitman, Dorothy Kennedy, Claire Winslow.

Above and Right: Two images of the construction of the Town Center, taken on July 10, 1968.

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From the ArchivesPostcardsPart of the work of our archives group is digitizing Rancho Bernardo history. Who knew postcards were part of that? We have a substantial collection of RB postcards and many of them are of the RB Inn or golf courses – not surprising. But some of them are of businesses long gone. Volunteer, Nagie Williams, is scanning our entire postcard collection to preserve and put online. Here’s a sample of a long-gone business, Ye Olde Time Shoppe. Anyone remember taking their watch or clock there?

Notable Residents Stan SowinskiWe believe this image is of Stan Sowinski. A number of years ago we received a collection from Mr. Sowinski of “cowboy” photos taken in the area of Sikes Adobe. This one appears to be near the base of Mule Hill. When the photos were taken in 1973, there were still cattle and the cowboys who herded them. This one, labeled the “Polish Gringo,” is likely Mr. Sowinski. He was a very accomplished artist and you may recognize his name as the artist who did the large painting on display in our museum. If you haven’t seen it yet, please stop by.

Bernardo Home Owners Corporation RecordsAnother part of our mission is to preserve the documents that structured our community. We have seven boxes of records from the Bernardo Home Owners Corporation. Thanks to volunteer Liz Adams, those records are being sorted, catalogued and placed in archival folders so when someone wants to research that aspect of our community, whether in a few months or a few decades, the records will be there.

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Our “Window” ForCommunity DisplaysBy Nancy Canfi eld

The Rancho Bernardo History Museum has set aside an indoor “window display” providing the opportunity for service organizations from our community to tell a bit of their story for a three-month period.

Los Rancheros KiwanisWe started with the Los Rancheros Kiwanis. Their web-site states:“Los Rancheros Kiwanis helps kids in San Diego and around the world. We’re generous with our time, creative with our ideas, and passionate about making a difference. And we have fun along the way!“Just a few of our current projects include building a new tot lot in the Rancho Bernardo Community Park, giving college scholarships to high school students in the Poway Unifi ed School District, funding orphanages in Romania, and sponsoring a grant to Rady Children’s Hospital for pediatric trauma training. We represent the communities of Rancho Bernardo, Rancho Peñasquitos, 4S Ranch, Carmel Mountain Ranch, and Sabre Springs.”Visit their website to learn more about the wonderful work they do in our communities. https://www.losrancheroskiwanis.org/

The Rancho Bernardo Veterans Memorial AssociationNext, the Rancho Bernardo Veterans Memorial Association (RBVMA) came to introduce themselves. The RBVMA (an IRC 501c(19) nonprofi t veterans organization) was established 25 years ago. The RBVMA maintains the Rancho Bernardo Veterans Memorial in Webb Park and hosts, with the support of local veterans groups and youth organizations, three annual ceremonies at the Memorial (Memorial Day, Independence Day, Veterans Day) in order to: help fulfi ll the patriotic purposes of these national observances; and, encourage youth to embrace lifelong responsible citizenship and public service. Please visit their website:

http://www.RBVMA.org

Soroptimists International of North San DiegoOver the next few months, the museum is proud to display the outstanding work of the Soroptimists International of North San Diego (SINSD).

SINSD members work together, through fun and friendship, to:

• Improve the lives of women and girls

• Help women achieve economic and political equality

• Serve as a global voice for women

• Provide outstanding leadership development opportunities for women

• Support educational opportunities for women and girls.

Stop by to see their display or learn all about these dedicated women at:

https://www.soroptimistnsd.org/

Our community window provides information about history and events throughout the county. Our current display showcases the contribution of Soroptimists International of North San Diego.

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Cindy Stankowski - San Diego Archaeological Center

Ross Rizzo - History of the Bernardo Winery

Greg Giapozzi (In Period Costume)- Old Town San Diego

RB Historical Society - YouTube Channel

RB Historical Society Speaker SeriesBy Vincent Rossi, Coordinator, RB Historical Society Speakers Series

The historical society’s 2019 Speakers Series has been a great success. As we head into our fi nal three months, we can look back on a succession of full houses. Crowds consistently showed up for a wide variety of speakers touching on various aspects of San Diego city and county history. Talk topics ranged from the history of the Franciscan missions and San Diego’s connection to the annexation of Hawaii to the landmark Rancho Bernardo Study of Healthy Aging to the history of our museum site, the Bernardo Winery.We noted an increasing number of regular attendees who often pitched in to help set up chairs and then put them away afterward. There have been extensive question periods and compliments to speakers and to me as coordinator. We also noted a number of new and renewed memberships inspired by the programs.

Remaining Speakers for 2019October 12: Annemarie CoxArchaeologist/anthropologist, speaks on Rediscovering the Mira Mar Restaurant & Hotel.

November 9: Steve WillardSan Diego police offi cer and police historian, speaking on his latest book, San Diego Murder and Mayhem: True Crime Stories from the City’s Past.

We look forward to seeing you as we wrap up this year’s series and invite you to join us on January 11, 2020 for the start of another great year!Also remember to check out all of our Speaker Series videos as well as our Oral Histories on our YouTube channel. To view the videos go to www.YouTube.com and search RB Historical Society.

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THANKS 2019 PANCAKE FESTIVAL SPONSORS

Rancho Bernardo Historical SocietyP.O. Box 27314 San Diego, CA 92198-7314

Silver- The Remington Club- Windermere Homes & Estates Bronze- Benchmark Mortgage- Casa de las Campanas- George Cooke- North County Gymnastics- Silvergate RB

Special Thanks- Albertsons- Barons Market

- Bernardo Moving & Storage- Boy Scout Troop 685- Courtyard by Marriot- Del Norte Honor Society- Del Norte Key Club- Elements Cafe- Escondido History Center- Girl Scout Troop 8157- Hamburger Factory- Jewel & Vine- Kiwanis Club RB- Mt.Carmel Key Club- Nancy Canfi eld- The Original Pancake House- Rancho Bernardo Inn- Shea Realty- Youth Philharmonic Orchestra

Become a Docent at Our Museum and Help us Move History ForwardThe Rancho Bernardo History Museum attracts thousands of visitors each year. We arelooking for docents to help us greet these visitors and share our history with them.

Do you have an interest in history and enjoy meeting people from all over the world? Weinvite you to become a docent at the museum.

You don’t have to be a historian. Just bring your interest and enthusiasm. We will train you. For more information, contact Jane Harmonat 858-775-5788.

Additions to Our CollectionsWe constantly update our collections with donated items. To see a listing of our latest additions visit our website www.rbhistory.org/museum or contact Peggy Rossi at 858-592-9360.